Goodfellas
Henry Hill might be a small time gangster, who may have taken part in a robbery with Jimmy Conway and Tommy De Vito, two other gangsters who might have set their sights a bit higher. His two partners could kill off everyone else involved in the robbery, and slowly start to think about climbing up through the hierarchy of the Mob. Henry, however, might be badly affected by his partners' success, but will he consider stooping low enough to bring about the downfall of Jimmy and Tommy?
Working with a moderate budget of $25.0M, the film achieved a modest success with $47.1M in global revenue (+88% profit margin).
1 Oscar. 44 wins & 38 nominations
Roger Ebert
"Scorsese makes a film about greed and crime that feels fresh because it treats its subject matter with such unflinching honesty."Read Full Review
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Goodfellas (1990) showcases deliberately positioned narrative architecture, characteristic of Martin Scorsese's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 25 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 4.5, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Young Henry Hill watches wiseguys from his window in his working-class Brooklyn neighborhood. He narrates: "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster." Shows his ordinary world and desire for the glamorous mob life across the street from his family's apartment.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The First Threshold at 32 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 22% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Henry, Jimmy, and Tommy murder Billy Batts and bury him upstate. This is Henry's first murder - an irreversible act that fully commits him to this world. There's no going back. He crosses from mob associate to murderer, sealing his fate with the family., moving from reaction to action.
The Collapse moment at 98 minutes (68% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Henry is arrested on drug charges. His mob family abandons him - Paulie gives him $3,200 and cuts him off. Jimmy tries to have him killed. The life he sacrificed everything for discards him the moment he's a liability. The dream is dead. His "family" was always conditional., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 105 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 72% of the runtime. Henry testifies in court, sending his former friends to prison. He and Karen enter witness protection, receive new identities, and are relocated to suburban anonymity. The final confrontation isn't physical - it's existential. He defeats the mob by surviving, but loses everything that made him feel alive., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Goodfellas's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Goodfellas against these established plot points, we can identify how Martin Scorsese utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Goodfellas within the biography genre.
Martin Scorsese's Structural Approach
Among the 16 Martin Scorsese films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.0, showcasing experimental approaches to narrative form. Goodfellas takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Martin Scorsese filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional biography films include Lords of Dogtown, Ip Man 2 and A Complete Unknown. For more Martin Scorsese analyses, see The Aviator, After Hours and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Young Henry Hill watches wiseguys from his window in his working-class Brooklyn neighborhood. He narrates: "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster." Shows his ordinary world and desire for the glamorous mob life across the street from his family's apartment.
Theme
Paulie tells young Henry: "Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut." This encapsulates the code that will both elevate and destroy Henry - loyalty to the mob family above all else, including his own survival.
Worldbuilding
Henry's recruitment into mob life as a teenager, working at the cabstand, learning the ropes under Paulie and Jimmy. Establishes the hierarchy, the perks, the rules, and key relationships with Tommy and Jimmy. Shows his first arrest and his "graduation" when he doesn't rat. The mob becomes his real family.
Resistance
Adult Henry (Ray Liotta) enjoys the fruits of mob life - money, respect, power. The Copacabana sequence showcases the glamour. He courts and wins Karen, showing her this seductive world. Tommy's violence (Billy Batts incident) reminds us of the danger. Henry debates nothing - he's fully committed - but this section shows him learning to navigate adult mob life.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Henry, Jimmy, and Tommy murder Billy Batts and bury him upstate. This is Henry's first murder - an irreversible act that fully commits him to this world. There's no going back. He crosses from mob associate to murderer, sealing his fate with the family.
Premise
The "promise of the premise" - the golden years of mob life. The Lufthansa heist planning and execution, extravagant spending, total freedom and power. Henry runs his nightclub, Tommy becomes increasingly violent, Jimmy is paranoid. Karen discovers Henry's mistress but accepts it. This is everything the audience came to see - the highs of gangster life.
Opposition
Everything unravels: Tommy kills Spider in a drunken rage; Jimmy murders Lufthansa witnesses; Tommy gets whacked for the Batts murder; Henry goes to prison for four years. In prison, he sets up drug dealing with Pittsburgh mob. After release, he continues dealing against Paulie's orders, becoming increasingly paranoid and cocaine-addicted.
Collapse
Henry is arrested on drug charges. His mob family abandons him - Paulie gives him $3,200 and cuts him off. Jimmy tries to have him killed. The life he sacrificed everything for discards him the moment he's a liability. The dream is dead. His "family" was always conditional.
Crisis
Henry faces the darkest realization: the mob will kill him and Karen. He processes the betrayal - everyone he loved and trusted wants him dead. Karen is hysterical. He has to choose between the code ("never rat") and survival. His entire identity is at stake.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Henry testifies in court, sending his former friends to prison. He and Karen enter witness protection, receive new identities, and are relocated to suburban anonymity. The final confrontation isn't physical - it's existential. He defeats the mob by surviving, but loses everything that made him feel alive.
Transformation
Henry retrieves his newspaper from a suburban lawn in witness protection. Narrates: "I'm an average nobody. I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook." The mirror to the opening - he wanted to be special, a gangster. Now he's condemned to ordinariness. He survived but lost his identity. A corruption arc completed.